On Bumperstickers

"No position of value can be boiled down to a bumper sticker." – S. Kuban

Think about it. The fact that you have to use ten words or less forces over-simplification. The fact that it has to be witty or rhyme tends to degrade the content further. The problem is that people often mistake being clever with being intelligent. I've selected a few bumper stickers to flesh out the problem:

Save The Whales

OK, how?

Uh, from what?

Why?

Jesus Loves You

Thanks.

Cool, then he won't send me to "hell", right?

Realize that people "love" their dog, they "love" ice cream – these are not what was meant by "love thy neighbor"

No War In Iraq

Uh, yes there is.

Yeah, I wish there was no war, but the dang terrorists keep coming over from Syria and murdering civilians.

I could go on, but you get the idea. My real point, however, is beyond the value of the bumper sticker. If you are arguing about politics, life, or whatever – you NEED to do more than simply quoting the bumper sticker slogans from you side. While they sound clever to you, they will do little to sway anyone to your side. Furthermore anyone that actually understands the issue will quickly bore of discussing the subject with someone that is displaying their ignorance. Unfortunately, knowledge is not a prerequisite for passion on a subject. Here's a tip: When someone throws up their hands in disgust and walks away from you – you haven't won the argument, you've lost it.